Heaven’s Keep ONE Day One After Stevie took off for school that morning, Cork O’Connor left the house. He headed to the sheriff’s department on Oak Street, parked in the visitors’ area, and went inside. Jim Pendergast was on the contact desk, and he buzzed Cork through the security door.

“Sheriff’s expecting you,” Pendergast said. “Good luck.”

Cork crossed the common area and approached the office that not many years before had been his. The door was open. Sheriff Marsha Dross sat at her desk. The sky outside her windows was oddly blue for November, and sunlight poured through the panes with a cheery energy. He knocked on the doorframe. Dross looked up from the documents in front of her and smiled.

“Morning, Cork. Come on in. Shut the door behind you.”

“Mind if I hang it?” Cork asked, shedding his leather jacket.

“No, go right ahead.”

Dross had an antique coat tree beside the door, one of the many nice touches she’d brought to the place. A few plants, well tended. Photos on the walls, gorgeous North Country shots she’d taken herself and had framed. She’d had the office painted a soft desert tan, a color Cork would never have chosen, but it worked.

“Sit down,” she said.

He took the old maple armchair that Dross had picked up at an estate sale and refinished herself. “Thanks for seeing me so early.”

“No problem. Jo get off okay?”

“Yeah, yesterday. She and LeDuc flew out together. They stayed in Casper last night. Due in Seattle today.”

“You and Stevie are bachelors for a few days, then?”

“We’ll manage.”

Dross folded her hands on her desk. “I don’t have an application from you yet, so I can’t really consider this a formal interview.”

“You know those exploratory committees they form for presidential candidates? This is more like that.”

Cork had hired her years ago when he was sheriff, and she’d become the first woman ever to wear the uniform of the Tamarack County Sheriff’s Department. She’d proven to be a good law officer, and when the opportunity had come her way, she’d put her hat in the ring, run for sheriff, and won easily. In Cork’s estimation, she’d filled that office well. She was in her late thirties, with red-brown hair, which she wore short, no makeup.

“Okay,” she said. “So explore.”

“Would you consider me seriously for the position?”

“If you apply, you’ll be the most experienced applicant.”

“And the oldest.”

“We don’t discriminate on the basis of age.”

“I’ll be fifty-one this year.”

“And the man you’d replace is sixty-three. Cy Borkman’s been a fine deputy right up to the end. So I’m guessing you might have a few good years left in you, too.” She smiled, paused. “How would you feel taking orders from an officer you trained?”

“I trained that officer pretty well. So no problem there. How would you feel giving orders to the guy who trained you?”

“Let me worry about that one.” She lost her smile and leveled at him a straight look that lasted an uncomfortably long time. “You told me a year and a half ago, after the shootings at the high school, that you would never carry a firearm again.”

“No. I told you I would never fire one at another human being.”

“Does that mean you’d be willing to carry?”

“If required.”

“The job definitely requires it.”

“In England the cops don’t carry.”

“This isn’t England. And you carry with the understanding that someday you might have to use your firearm. That’s why all our deputies certify on the range once a year. Your rule, remember?”

“How many times since you put on that badge have you cleared your holster and fired?”

“Yesterday is no predictor of tomorrow. And, Cork, the officers you work with need to believe you’re willing to cover their backs, whatever it takes. Christ, you know that.” She sat back, looking frankly puzzled. “Why do you want this job? Is it the litigation?”

“The lawsuit’s draining me,” he admitted.

“You’ve built a good reputation here as a PI.”

“Can’t spend a reputation. I need a job that brings in a regular income.”

“What’ll you do about Sam’s Place?”

“Unless I win the litigation, there won’t be a Sam’s Place. And unless I can pay for it, there won’t be a litigation.”

“And if you win the lawsuit, are you out of here again? I’ve got to tell you, Cork, you’ve been in and out of uniform more times than a kid playing dress-up.”

“I was never playing.”

She looked away, out her window at the gorgeous November sky and the liquid sun that made everything drip yellow. “I’ve got a dozen qualified applicants wanting Cy’s job, young guys itching for experience. I hire one of them, he’ll be with me for years. I can start him out at a salary that’ll be healthy for my budget. I can assign him the worst shifts and he won’t complain.”

“Did I ever complain?”

“Let me finish. The feeling around here is that I ought to hire you. You’re clearly the popular choice. Hell, you brought most of our officers into the department yourself. These guys love you. But I have to look beyond the question of how well you’d fit in here. I have to think about the future of this force. And I also have to think about the welfare of the officer I hire.” She gave him another long, direct look. “What’s Jo think about this?”

“That it’s not the best idea I’ve ever had.”

“An understatement on her part, I’m sure.”

“This is between you and me, Marsha.”

“Until I run into Jo in the produce aisle at the IGA. I can’t imagine that would be pretty.”

“You’re saying you wouldn’t be inclined to hire me?”

“I’m saying we both probably have better options.”

It was Cork’s turn to eye the promising blue sky. “I don’t know anything but law enforcement.”

“I heard the new casino management firm might be looking for someone to head up security.”

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Heaven’s Keep ONE Day One After Stevie took off for school that morning, Cork O’Connor left the house. He headed to the sheriff’s department on Oak Street, parked in the visitors’ area, and went inside. Jim Pendergast was on the contact desk, and he buzzed Cork through the security door.

“Sheriff’s expecting you,” Pendergast said. “Good luck.”

Cork crossed the common area and approached the office that not many years before had been his. The door was open. Sheriff Marsha Dross sat at her desk. The sky outside her windows was oddly blue for November, and sunlight poured through the panes with a cheery energy. He knocked on the doorframe. Dross looked up from the documents in front of her and smiled.

“Morning, Cork. Come on in. Shut the door behind you.”

“Mind if I hang it?” Cork asked, shedding his leather jacket.

“No, go right ahead.”

Dross had an antique coat tree beside the door, one of the many nice touches she’d brought to the place. A few plants, well tended. Photos on the walls, gorgeous North Country shots she’d taken herself and had framed. She’d had the office painted a soft desert tan, a color Cork would never have chosen, but it worked.

“Sit down,” she said.

He took the old maple armchair that Dross had picked up at an estate sale and refinished herself. “Thanks for seeing me so early.”

“No problem. Jo get off okay?”

“Yeah, yesterday. She and LeDuc flew out together. They stayed in Casper last night. Due in Seattle today.”

“You and Stevie are bachelors for a few days, then?”

“We’ll manage.”

Dross folded her hands on her desk. “I don’t have an application from you yet, so I can’t really consider this a formal interview.”

“You know those exploratory committees they form for presidential candidates? This is more like that.”

Cork had hired her years ago when he was sheriff, and she’d become the first woman ever to wear the uniform of the Tamarack County Sheriff’s Department. She’d proven to be a good law officer, and when the opportunity had come her way, she’d put her hat in the ring, run for sheriff, and won easily. In Cork’s estimation, she’d filled that office well. She was in her late thirties, with red-brown hair, which she wore short, no makeup.

“Okay,” she said. “So explore.”

“Would you consider me seriously for the position?”

“If you apply, you’ll be the most experienced applicant.”

“And the oldest.”

“We don’t discriminate on the basis of age.”

“I’ll be fifty-one this year.”

“And the man you’d replace is sixty-three. Cy Borkman’s been a fine deputy right up to the end. So I’m guessing you might have a few good years left in you, too.” She smiled, paused. “How would you feel taking orders from an officer you trained?”

“I trained that officer pretty well. So no problem there. How would you feel giving orders to the guy who trained you?”

“Let me worry about that one.” She lost her smile and leveled at him a straight look that lasted an uncomfortably long time. “You told me a year and a half ago, after the shootings at the high school, that you would never carry a firearm again.”

“No. I told you I would never fire one at another human being.”

“Does that mean you’d be willing to carry?”

“If required.”

“The job definitely requires it.”

“In England the cops don’t carry.”

“This isn’t England. And you carry with the understanding that someday you might have to use your firearm. That’s why all our deputies certify on the range once a year. Your rule, remember?”

“How many times since you put on that badge have you cleared your holster and fired?”

“Yesterday is no predictor of tomorrow. And, Cork, the officers you work with need to believe you’re willing to cover their backs, whatever it takes. Christ, you know that.” She sat back, looking frankly puzzled. “Why do you want this job? Is it the litigation?”

“The lawsuit’s draining me,” he admitted.

“You’ve built a good reputation here as a PI.”

“Can’t spend a reputation. I need a job that brings in a regular income.”

“What’ll you do about Sam’s Place?”

“Unless I win the litigation, there won’t be a Sam’s Place. And unless I can pay for it, there won’t be a litigation.”

“And if you win the lawsuit, are you out of here again? I’ve got to tell you, Cork, you’ve been in and out of uniform more times than a kid playing dress-up.”

“I was never playing.”

She looked away, out her window at the gorgeous November sky and the liquid sun that made everything drip yellow. “I’ve got a dozen qualified applicants wanting Cy’s job, young guys itching for experience. I hire one of them, he’ll be with me for years. I can start him out at a salary that’ll be healthy for my budget. I can assign him the worst shifts and he won’t complain.”

“Did I ever complain?”

“Let me finish. The feeling around here is that I ought to hire you. You’re clearly the popular choice. Hell, you brought most of our officers into the department yourself. These guys love you. But I have to look beyond the question of how well you’d fit in here. I have to think about the future of this force. And I also have to think about the welfare of the officer I hire.” She gave him another long, direct look. “What’s Jo think about this?”

“That it’s not the best idea I’ve ever had.”

“An understatement on her part, I’m sure.”

“This is between you and me, Marsha.”

“Until I run into Jo in the produce aisle at the IGA. I can’t imagine that would be pretty.”

“You’re saying you wouldn’t be inclined to hire me?”

“I’m saying we both probably have better options.”

It was Cork’s turn to eye the promising blue sky. “I don’t know anything but law enforcement.”

“I heard the new casino management firm might be looking for someone to head up security.”

Product Image 1 of 1

A Novel

Heaven's Keep

A Novel

Intrepid hero Cork O’Connor faces the most harrowing mission of his life when a charter plane carrying his wife, Jo, goes missing in a snowstorm over the Wyoming Rockies.

Months after the tragedy, two women show up on Cork’s doorstep with evidence that the pilot of Jo’s plane was not the man he claimed to be. It may not be definitive proof, but it’s a ray of light in the darkness. Agreeing to investigate, Cork travels to Wyoming, where he battles the interference of local law enforcement who may be on the take, the open hostility of the Northern Arapaho, who have much to lose if the truth is known, and the continuing attempts on his life by assassins who shadow his every move. At the center of all the danger and deception lies the possibility that Jo’s disappearance was not the end of her, that somewhere along the labyrinthine path of his search, maybe even in the broad shadow of Heaven’s Keep itself, Cork will find her alive and waiting for him.

“A powerful crime writer at the top of his game.” —David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author of The Shimmer

"There's a reason why William Kent Krueger is known as a writer's writer. His stories are works of art, literary wonders that beautifully capture a sense of place while they deliver a powerful emotional punch." -- Tess Gerritsen

"Heaven's Keep has it all. A mystery that will have you stumped, a fascinating look at the traditions, folklore, and current-day politics of Native Americans, and a drama that will have you embracing your loved ones at the close of each and every chapter. It is a nail-biting suspense from a writer soon to be on the top of everyone's must-read list." -- Vince Flynn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Extreme Measures

Read an Excerpt

Heaven's Keep

A Novel

Cork O'Connor Mystery Series

By William Kent Krueger

Excerpts

Excerpt 1

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Reading Group Guide

This reading group guide forHeaven's Keepincludes an introduction, discussion questions, and a Q&A with author William Kent Krueger. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.

Introduction

Retired sheriff Cork O’Connor has been through harrowing experiences in his days, but nothing that compares with what he faces in Heaven’s Keep. Author William Kent Krueger’s intrepid hero gets struck with tragedy when he learns that a charter plane carrying O’Connor’s wife, Jo, went down somewhere over the Wyoming Rockies. Despite Cork and his son Stephen’s valiant efforts to search for her, they come up empty-handed. They resign themselves to the fact that Jo is no longer with them and that they have to move on.

Six months later, just as Cork is pulling his life back together, two women approach him with evidence that the pilot of Jo’s plane was not who he claimed to be. As Cork begins to investigate, he quickly finds himself and his new partner, Hugh Parmer, in harm’s way. Refusing to give up, he travels to Wyoming, where he meets with resistance from local law enforcement and the Northern Arapaho, bot
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About the Author

William Kent Krueger is the award-winning author of fourteen previous Cork O'Connor novels, including Tamarack County and Windigo Island, as well as the novel Ordinary Grace, winner of the 2014 Edgar Award for best novel. He lives in the Twin Cities with his family. Visit his website at WilliamKentKrueger.com.